Bill on personal data privacy gets cabinet nod

Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 prohibits sharing of a user’s information without his permission

ISLAMABAD:

The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved in principle the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, a piece of proposed legislation that seeks to ensure security of peoples’ personal information as well as data of various organizations and companies

The bill, approved on the recommendation of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, also prohibits sharing of a user’s information or data with any company, individual, or government organization without his permission.

Under this bill, the government will ensure security of a user’s personal information and data of various organizations and companies and prohibit sharing of the user’s information or data with any company, individual, or government organization without their permission.

Under the proposed law, a regulator – the National Commission for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP) – will be established. This institution will act as a civil court to protect the private documents or data of the users and redress the grievances of the complainants.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also approved the E-Safety Bill, 2023 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Information Technology (IT) to protect user data and prevent illegal use of information systems.

Under this law, a comprehensive framework will be established to ensure the protection and unauthorized use of user data on all types of online services, online shopping, data provided to various companies, and social networking websites in Pakistan.

After the approval of the bill, heinous crimes like online harassment, cyberbullying, and blackmail will be effectively prevented.

The federal cabinet also gave assent to the draft amendment bill of the Investment Board Ordinance 2001 for the promotion of foreign investment in Pakistan.

The amendment will empower the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as well as lay down its basic structure, working procedures, and cooperation mechanisms with various ministries and provincial governments.

After the law is passed, the SIFC will ensure the speedy implementation of foreign investment projects in the country. PM Shehbaz said the government was implementing the Whole of Government Policy to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country.

The policy would help expedite the implementation process of the projects under foreign investment.

The prime minister appreciated Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik for his successful efforts in finalizing the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) agreement with Azerbaijan.

“This agreement is not only an important step forward to promote bilateral trade ties with Azerbaijan but it will also prove to be a milestone for the energy security of Pakistan,” he added.

The federal cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Anti-Narcotics, established a ministerial committee under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif to finalize the contents of the National Cannabis Policy.

The committee will present its recommendation to the federal committee in the next meeting.

 The federal cabinet approved the reorganization of accountability courts on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Under this reorganization initiative, seven accountability courts will be turned into banking courts and two will be changed into intellectual tribunals. Two more accountability courts will be respectively turned into a special court central and a special court in Balochistan. This restructuring will not result in additional costs.
The federal cabinet also approved the reorganization of the Board of Directors of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) besides approving the appointment of members of the Selection Committee of Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority.

It also approved the National Adaptation Plan 2023 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change. Under the plan, the government, along with other partners, will take measures to protect climate-prone communities from the adverse effects of climate change.

On the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change, the cabinet decided to refer the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act, 2023 to the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases for the protection of wildlife and natural assets in Islamabad.

The federal cabinet approved the inclusion and removal of names in the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior.

It agreed that if reasons for inclusion of a name in the passport control list and the ECL are the same, then removal of that name from one list will also result in its removal from the other list as well.

The cabinet also gave assent to the decisions taken in the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on July 24. The meeting approved the decisions taken in the meetings of the cabinet committee on legislative cases held on July 6, 7, 21, and July 25.

The federal cabinet approved the decisions made by the cabinet committees on privatization, and inter-governmental transactions separately held on July 10.